REFERENCE SECTION

Like all good libraries, lets get a reference section going. Some people may like to know basic books, while others may want more detailed books.

Some of the more obvious ones are birds, flowers etc, but some will want to know about instructions for bees, wind power, drying cabinets etc.

List your favourite, be it a book or website.

Also see Badgers suggestion below.

Topics so far

Crystals

Foraging, identifying & cooking

Soap Making

Painting & Drawing

Basic Homesteading

Gardening

Excellent idea Pol. Can I suggest that this is a good place to store PDF versions of webpages etc as well

For beginners,

FOOD FOR FREE by Richard Mabey.

This is a guide to edible wild plants in Britain.

Available in the usual places ebay, Amazon, charity shops.

I will be adding each of these books to the book store on the main website this weekend and will make weekly additions thereafter so that those who want to buy can do so and support the forum with the teeny tiny commission that Amazon pays me ...

The Essential Nettle, Dandelion, Chickweed and Thistle Cookbook by Johnny Jumbalaya - Spiral-bound: 100 pages
Publisher: Johnny Jumbalaya (Jun 2003) ISBN: 0954415817

This, and the following 3 books all from the same author, are for fairly hard-core foraging fanatics, or anyone looking for 'interesting' culinary experiments.

The Essential Backpacker's Wild Food Cookbook by Johnny Jumbalaya - Paperback: 100 pages Publisher: Johnny Jumbalaya (Aug 2004) ISBN: 0954415833

The Essential Hedgerow and Wayside Cookbook by Johnny Jumbalaya - Hardcover: 100 pages Publisher: Johnny Jumbalaya (Dec 2003) ISBN: 0954415825

The Really Wild Food Guide: Or 350+ Ways to Wok the Wild by Johnny Jumbalaya - Paperback: 200 pages Publisher: Johnny Jumbalaya (Dec 2002) ISBN: 0954415809


Wild Food (Natural History Photographic Guides) by Roger Phillips - Paperback: 160 pages Publisher: Pan (9 Sep 1983) ISBN: 0330280694

Some consider these books by Roger Phillips to be the very best you can get of their kind. They're certainly very good, but unfortunately not pocket sized!

Mushrooms by Roger Phillips - Paperback: 384 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (18 Aug 2006) ISBN: 0330442376

This is the most recent mushroom/fungi from Phillips - it is updated from the original (shown below), but there are die hards who still prefer the older publication.

Mushrooms and Other Fungi of Great Britain and Europe (A Pan Original) by Roger Phillips, Lyndsay Shearer, Derek Reid (Editor), Ronald Rayner (Editor) - Paperback: 288 pages Publisher: Pan (14 Aug 1981)
ISBN: 0330264419

The first mushroom/fungi book from Phillips and many still believe it to be the best - however, I'd never personally rely on just one fungi guide - but then that's me.

The Encyclopedia of Fungi of Britain and Europe by Michael Jordan - Paperback: 334 pages Publisher: Frances Lincoln Publishers (1 Sep 2004)
ISBN: 0711223793

A bit hard going, but it is comprehensive and has the added advantage of pictures taken in the field, not the studio. It is a very large book though, and again, hardly a 'field' guide.

The ACORN, Hazelnut &c. Cookbook Johnny Jumbalaya
How to transform acorns and other similar wild nuts into edible food. [ISBN 0 9544158 7 6]
Country Wines & Cordials - Wild Plant and Herbal Recipes for Drinks Old & New - Wilma Patterson.
Omega Books 1983

Because of its date you'd be best to double check some of the plant info for current thinking before following the recipes, but makes for a very interesting read & is a nice little book.

Eyewitness Handbooks - Mushrooms
By Thomas Laessoe
Dorling Kindersley
ISBN 0-7513-1070-0

'A visual guide to over 500 species of mushroom from around the world.'

'The Wild Foods of Great Britain' - L. Cameron (70's facsimile re-issue).

A foraging manual written well before Richard Mabey became God.

Living in a Wild Garden - Roger Banks
World's Books Ltd.
Banks is an illustrator, and this book is packed full of his very attractive work. Part story of his purchase of an old tumbledown Scottish estate back in the 60's, part ramble through the history and use of the wild plants he and his wife found and also encouraged to grow there.

A Country Harvest - Pamela Michael
Peerage Books

This has been re-issued under a lsightly different title but if you look for the older copy you may be able to get yourself a bargain.

Now Cook Me the Fish - Margaret Butterworth
Country Life Books. Circa 1950
146 freshwater fish recipes. Fairly basic details, but interesting and quite varied.

The Compleat Angler's Wife - Suzanne Beedell
Countryside Books. Circa 1964
A complete guide to cooking the angler's catch.
Covers a broad range of freshwater and sea fish, including shellfish, crayfish and lobster.

They Can't Ration These - Vicomte de Mauduit
The Book Club. Circa 1941
One of the Holy Grails of foraging literature. Wonderfully comprehensive listing of all things foragable and an important piece of social history too.

Thank COTW I am sure some readers will find them useful & interesting.
Pol

The Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Cross ISBN 1-85974-006-5 (probably the easiest for beginners to start with, but that's just my opinion)

Gourmet Soaps Made Easy by Melinda Cross ISBN 1-85974-626-8

The Natural Soap Book by Susan Miller Cavitch ISBN-13: 978-0-88266-888-8

The Soapmaker's Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch ISBN-13: 978-0-88266-965-6

I also have the Natural Beauty Recipe Book by Gill Farrer-Halls ISBN 1-59253-298-5

Making Scented Soap by Linda Hamblen ISBN 1-84340-056-1 can't vouch for this one

Nice ideas from AJB.

Thank you

I'd like to add Miles Irving's The Forager Handbook to the list. You can look it up at Amazon via the shop link on the toolbar above.

Probably not the best book for beginners to foraging unless you have a very good plant id. guide to accompany it and unfortunately the pictures are black and white but the plant list is extensive and very interesting. Well worth checking out IMHO.

polgara wrote:The Handmade Soap Book by Melinda Cross ISBN 1-85974-006-5 (probably the easiest for beginners to start with, but that's just my opinion)

Gourmet Soaps Made Easy by Melinda Cross ISBN 1-85974-626-8

The Natural Soap Book by Susan Miller Cavitch ISBN-13: 978-0-88266-888-8

The Soapmaker's Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch ISBN-13: 978-0-88266-965-6

I also have the Natural Beauty Recipe Book by Gill Farrer-Halls ISBN 1-59253-298-5

Making Scented Soap by Linda Hamblen ISBN 1-84340-056-1 can't vouch for this one

Nice ideas from AJB.

Thank you

Thanks for this list - am aiming to get one to try out soap making this holiday

Glad it helped

Thanks COTW

I'd been meaning to add my soap book collection here but forgot. Thanks to Pol for reminding me

I'll try and get organised and add these to the bookstore

I have just been given THE ENCYCLOPEDIA of PAINTING TECHNIQUES by Elizabeth Tate.
Covers oil, water acrylic & pastel etc, with some projects as well.

THE COMPLETE STEP-by-STEP WATERCOLOUR COURSE by Michael Whittlesea lots of projects as well.

Will add more when I get the box out.

My favourite and most used book is 'Back to Basics' from readers digest. I use the book as a reference almost daily. Has pretty much basic information on anything and everything to do with homesteading.

Surely one of the best & easiest gardening books for beginers is The New Vegetable & Herb Expert by DG Hessayon. I use mine all the time.

Same here - if you want a book with clear diagrams and planting instructions this is the one. I ignore what he says about garden chemicals though.

Me too, but his kitchen info is good as well

The Crystal Bible by Judy Hall for anyone interested in healing or the properties of crystal. Well illustrated.

Readers Digest MAGIC FOODS helps explain more about diet for diabetics & what foods are good & help to lower blood sugars. Lots of ideas. I have found it very useful.